5,473 research outputs found
Special Issue: Present and Future of Personalised Medicine for Endocrine Cancers
Full text linkMajor technological advances in genomics have made it possible to identify critical genetic alterations in cancer, rendering oncology well along the path to personalised cancer medicine [...
NCAM1, TACR1 and NOS Genes and Temperament: A Study on Suicide Attempters and Controls
Full text linkSuicide, one of the leading causes of death among young adults, seems to be plausibly modulated by both genetic and personality factors. The aim of this study was to dissect the potential association between genetics and temperament in a sample of 111 suicide attempters and 289 healthy controls. We focused on 4 genes previously investigated in association with suicide on the same sample: the nitric oxide synthase 1 and 3 (NOS1 and NOS3), the neuronal cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1), and the tachykinin receptor 1 (TACR1) genes. In particular, we investigated whether a set of genetic variants in these genes (NOS1 : rs2682826, rs1353939, rs693534; NOS3 : rs2070744, rs1799983, rs891512; NCAM1 : rs2301228, rs1884, rs1245113, rs1369816, rs2196456, rs584427; TACR1 : rs3771810, rs3771825, rs726506, rs1477157) were associated with temperamental traits at the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). No strong evidence was found for the association between TCI personality traits and the polymorphisms considered in the 4 genes, with the exception of an association between reward dependence trait and the rs2682826 SNP in NOS1 in the healthy sample. However, this result could be plausibly interpreted as a false-positive finding. In conclusion, our study did not support the thesis of a direct modulation of these genes on temperament; however, further studies on larger samples are clearly required in order to confirm our preliminary findings and to exclude any possible minor influence. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base
Leading the change or missing the challenge? A proactive approach to the natural evolution of the educational domain
No full textMy previous contribution was mainly devoted to the student’s side; the first part synthesized the recent past of technology and main application trends. The feeling to be “always on line” connected with the “world”, the revolutionary experience to be “active” users, “prosumers”, more over the social side of the network and the sense of belonging to one or more communities. This lead some of us to experience the “15 minutes of celebrity” posting funny pictures of video cl ips. Some times EdTV or the Big Brother is just behind the corner.
The vision in the educational sector changed, policy and strategy has been updated and a number of international and national projects launched.
The present contribution focus on the renovated educational “back office” and new behavioural models. How traditional educational environment changed and still change due to the social web, prosumers, crowd sourcing and more.
It is true that the first task at the beginning of the courses is to create a Facebook page devoted to the class? Notebooks, tablets and smart phones are an integral part of student school bag as it was books and exercise books “once upon a time”.
During lectures students are looking for further details on the topic and share them on the fly with classmates or mainly watching MTV?
How to create a proactive educational environment, do we need to re-think from scratch our lectures, course notes, readings and even the arrangement of educational facilities
Nanoorganization of organic chromophores, with nlo and photoluminescent properties, on tetracyclosiloxane rings
No full textDuring this PhD thesis, a series of sodium arylcyclotetrasiloxanolates properly functionalized in the para position of the aromatic ring, like [4-RC6H4Si(O)ONa]4 and the corresponding (trimethylsiloxy)cyclotetrasiloxanes [4-RC6H4Si(O)OSiMe3]4 (R = Cl, Br, CH=CH2, CH2Cl), were prepared as scaffolds for anchoring second order non-linear optical (NLO) active or fluorescent organic chromophores.
The synthesis and the photophysical characterization of an ensamble of four NLO active organic tails nanoorganized on a cyclotetrasiloxane ring to produce various macrocyclic NLO chromophores have been studied, together with their conductimetric and second order NLO response. These macrocyclic NLO chromophores can be considered as a simple model of a monolayer of organic NLO chromophores on a silica surface. Their orientation under the action of a strong electric field, when blended with a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix, was investigated using the Corona Poling technique.
The development of straightforward routes from cyclotetrasiloxane to form fully condensed Janus silsesquioxanes with different moieties on each defined “face” of the cage was also investigated, and a new approach to nanocomposite materials that allows the catalytical and selective interconversion, at ambient temperatures, of a mixtures of polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMS) and polyvinylsilsesquioxane (PVS) to mixed functional group T10 and T12 silsesquioxane structures was developed
Notch1 pathway in adrenocortical carcinomas:correlations with clinical outcome
No full textPrevious SNP array analyses have revealed genomic alterations of the Notch pathway as being the most frequent abnormality in adrenocortical tumors (ACTs). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of components of Notch signaling in ACTs and to correlate them with clinical outcome. The mRNA expression of JAG1, NOTCH1, and selected target genes of NOTCH1 (HES1, HES5, and HEY2) was evaluated in 80 fresh frozen samples (28 normal adrenal glands (NAGs), 24 adenomas (ACAs), and 28 carcinomas (ACCs)) by quantitative RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry was performed in 221 tissues on paraffin slides (16 NAGs, 27 ACAs, and 178 ACCs) for JAG1, activated NOTCH1 (aNOTCH1), and HEY2. An independent ACC validation cohort (n=77) was then also investigated. HEY2 mRNA expression was higher in ACCs than it was in ACAs (P<0.05). The protein expression of all of the factors was high (H-score 2–3) in a larger proportion of ACCs as compared to ACAs and NAGs (JAG1 in 27, 15, and 10%; aNOTCH1 in 13, 8, and 0%; HEY2 in 66, 61, and 33% respectively, all P<0.001). High JAG1 expression was associated with earlier tumor stages and lower numbers of metastases in ACCs (both P=0.08) and favorably impacted overall and progression-free survival (PFS) (131 vs 30 months, hazard ratio (HR) 0.45, and 37 vs 9 months, HR 0.51, both P<0.005). This impact on overall survival (OS) was confirmed in the validation cohort. No such association was observed for aNOTCH1 or HEY2. In conclusion, different components of the Notch1 signaling pathway are overexpressed in ACCs, which suggests a role for the pathway in malignant transformation. However, JAG1 is overexpressed in a subgroup of ACCs with a better clinical outcome
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